Latest Bag and Buckle Work

[Capt. Jas.]

A full gusset bag with handmade buckle, hand engraved button, blind tooled with handmade stamps, rolled welts, lined flap, two internal pockets, scallop punched binding.

 

[S.Kenton]

Very VERY nice!!!!!

 

[RoaringBull]

If I could one day make just 1 bag that looked that good, I'd die a happy man. That's beautiful sir!

 

[JohnL]

That is nice!! I’m ashamed to ever post my creations on here again!

 

[Capt. Jas.]

That is nice!! I’m ashamed to ever post my creations on here again!

Seems like only 35 years ago I was stitching with an awl made from a concrete nail ; ) We all start somewhere and then decide how far we can or are willing to take it. I wish I had started my gunmaking long before my 40s and I'm still playing catch up : )

 

[JohnL]

Seems like only 35 years ago I was stitching with an awl made from a concrete nail ; ) We all start somewhere and then decide how far we can or are willing to take it. I wish I had started my gunmaking long before my 40s and I'm still playing catch up : )

Your work looks great, and functional!!

 

[appalichian hunter]

Excellent bag, Has a well to do English gentleman's gunning look to it. Hey Brit here is one for you when you go to the fields. Would fit right in with your new O/U and jess.

 

[smo]

Superb Craftsmanship as always Capt. Jas.
Well done!

 

[bisleyjohn]

Beautiful work Sir, I love it.

 

[Artificer]

James,

I ALWAYS look forward to you posting one of your latest creations, as it is such a treat to view them. Once again you have not disappointed with this Outstanding and downright Elegant Shot Pouch!!

May I ask what time period this is generally from and the width of the strap and general dimensions of the bag?

I'm sure any 18th century English or American Country Squire would have been well pleased to have your Shot Pouch on his hip.

Gus

 

[forty_caliber]

Great job. Awesome craftsmanship.

.40

 

[Capt. Jas.]

James,

I ALWAYS look forward to you posting one of your latest creations, as it is such a treat to view them. Once again you have not disappointed with this Outstanding and downright Elegant Shot Pouch!!

May I ask what time period this is generally from and the width of the strap and general dimensions of the bag?

I'm sure any 18th century English or American Country Squire would have been well pleased to have your Shot Pouch on his hip.

Gus

Gus, I don't have the bag in hand and can't remember the dimensions. The flap designs are similar to decoration that can be found on remnants of English made knife sheaths from the 18th century back to medieval times. The bag itself is generic in shape and its intended period is mid 18th century. Bags for sporting in the 18th century seem to carry over many characteristics of medieval period work and i try to do the same for best quality styles. The strap is 1 1/8".

 

[old ugly]

very nice. pouch.
i have also made buckles, i know they are a bit of work, you did a real nice job of that one.

ou
tom

 

[PM]

That's some of the best leather work I've seen. It almost looks like it was stiched by machine.

How did you do the buckle? I was thinking of making a couple for a project myself and would love to know the process that makes them come out like that.

 

[polardude]

Very nice work. I too would like to see how you made the buckle if you took pictures during construction?

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Thank you guys!
Nothing but lots of file work fellas ; )
I have local dug originals I pattern them from. I made my first one in the late 80s and they have become kind of a trademark for my bag work over the years.

 

[Artificer]

The bag itself is generic in shape and its intended period is mid 18th century. Bags for sporting in the 18th century seem to carry over many characteristics of medieval period work and i try to do the same for best quality styles. The strap is 1 1/8".

Wow, until you wrote that, I always thought there was something familiar in 18th century Sporting Bags I could not put my finger on. However, I never put two and two together on that, even though I have seen quite a few drawings/paintings of medieval belt pouches and some other medieval work. That is most interesting and a sort of "Duh" moment for me. Grin.

Thanks for the strap width. Since this bag must weigh a little more than some bags, it seems you used just the right blend of a strap wide enough to support the weight, but not too wide and it looks "right" for the bag.

Gus

 

[MountainSmoke]

Beautiful! Very fine work. Wow

 

[Butler Ford]

I am truly impressed with the buckle!!

 

[Artificer]

That's some of the best leather work I've seen. It almost looks like it was stiched by machine.

How did you do the buckle? I was thinking of making a couple for a project myself and would love to know the process that makes them come out like that.

PM,

I know you intended the emboldened comment above as praise, so please don't take my following comments in any way whatsoever as criticism towards you. It is just your comment inspired me to write the following.

Machine Stitching is at best a poor imitation of quality hand stitching, especially as done by folks like Capt. Jas. I am paraphrasing the Cordwainer at Colonial Williamsburg back in the 1980's, where many tourist visitors had the same comment on the stitching done in his shop and that was his reply.

Other than sometimes looking more uniform, there is nothing else about machine stitching leather that is better for stitching leather, other than machine stitching is cheaper to do. Machine stitching cannot account for the variations in the leather to put good tension on each stitch. Machine stitching will come apart in a line, when even one stitch is broken. Even if one out of every three stitches done by hand stitching are broken/cut, the hand stitching will last for years longer.

Back in the late 1970's when I was learning leather work on my own, most Law Enforcement Officers still wore leather gun belts. Any LEO who worked for a few years, eventually saw machine stitching on his gun belt in particular come loose because of wearing as little as one loop of machine stitching. After noticing this about the gun belt of a Police Officer friend, I offered to fix the stitching. He dropped the gun belt to me at the end of one shift and told me the work had to be done before he went on his next shift. What I thought might take less than an hour actually took over 2 1/2 hours, because I found so many other worn stitches on his belt and repaired them as well. He made a similar comment about the stitching looking almost like it was machine stitched and I informed him hand stitching would stand up much better and for years longer than machine stitching. Well, the word got out and even in that rather small Police Department, I wound up repairing quite a few other gun belts for the Officers. Grin.

I wanted to make this point because this is one aspect of the way they did things in the 18th century is STILL better done than something commonly done today.

Oh, one more example, though this was on a non period item. One day when I was the Division Ordnance Chief for 1st Marine Division, the Division Ammo Chief walked into my office during lunch hour and asked WTH I was doing? I had my 18th century reproduction awls and hand stitching supplies on my desk and was hand stitching a commercial hip belt to my Alice Pack and stitching loops onto the straps for a quick release breast strap. I informed the Division Ammo Chief I was correcting things they figured out in the 18th century and using 18th century methods to do it. He understood the value of the hip belt and breast strap, so he asked me where I had gotten them? Long story short, the REI outdoor store in San Diego got a lot of unexpected business on hip belts for packs and custom quick release straps that I attached for many of the folks at Division Ordnance and some others from other Division G-4 sections. Grin.